Verse: Definition, Examples & Types, Poetry | StudySmarter

Maybe your like

Learning Materials

Explanations Explanations
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Architecture
- Art and Design
- Bengali
- Biology
- Business Studies
- Chemistry
- Chinese
- Combined Science
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Engineering
- English
- English Literature
- Environmental Science
- French
- Geography
- German
- Greek
- History
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Human Geography
- Japanese
- Italian
- Law
- Macroeconomics
- Marketing
- Math
- Media Studies
- Medicine
- Microeconomics
- Music
- Nursing
- Nutrition and Food Science
- Physics
- Politics
- Polish
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Sports Sciences
- Translation

Features

Flashcards
StudySmarter AI
Notes
Study Plans
Study Sets
Exams

Discover

Find a job
Student Deals
Magazine
Mobile App

Explanations
English Literature
Literary Devices
Verse

Verse

In poetry, verse generally refers to a single line of a poem or a stanza but can also be used to refer to a poem or even poetry in general. In other genres, such as music, verse can refer to the non-chorus, lyrical sections of a song or a collection of bars in rap.

Get started

Millions of flashcards designed to help you ace your studies

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

What are the two main types of verse?

Show Answer

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

Who is a famous free verse poet?

Show Answer

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

What are the two main types of verse?

Show Answer

+ Add tag
Immunology
Cell Biology
Mo

Who is a famous free verse poet?

Show Answer Flashcards Icon

Generate flashcards Summarize Icon

Summarize page Flashcards Icon

Generate flashcards from highlight

Review generated flashcards

to start learning or create your own AI flashcards

Start learning or create your own AI flashcards

StudySmarter Editorial Team

Team Verse Teachers

10 minutes reading time
Checked by StudySmarter Editorial Team

Save Article Save Article Sign up for free to save, edit & create flashcards. Save Article Save Article

Fact Checked Content
Last Updated: 06.09.2022
Published at: 10.05.2022
10 min reading time

American Drama
American Literary Movements
American Literature
American Poetry
American Regionalism Literature
American Short Fiction
Dramatists
Essayists
Literary Criticism and Theory
Literary Devices

Academic and Campus Novel
Acrostic
Adventure Fiction
African Literature
Allegory
Allusion
Amatory Fiction
Analepsis
Anapest
Anaphora
Antinovel
Antistrophe
Antithesis
Archetype
Assonance
Aubade
Autobiography
Ballad
Biblical Narrative
Bildungsroman
Biography
Blank Verse
Brechtian
Caesura
Canto
Chiasmus
Chick Lit
Children's Fiction
Chivalric Romance
Chorus
Christian Drama
Cliché
Cliffhanger
Closet drama
Comedy in Drama
Conceit
Contemporary Fantasy
Couplet
Creative Non-Fiction
Crime Fiction
Cyberpunk Literature
Dactyl
Denouement
Detective Fiction
Didactic Poetry
Domestic Drama
Drama
Dramatic Devices
Dramatic Monologue
Dramatic Structure
Dramatic Terms
Dramatis Personae
Dystopian Fiction
Elegiac Couplet
Elegy
English Renaissance Theatre
Enjambment
Epic Poetry
Epiphany
Epistolary Fiction
Epode
Experimental Fiction
Fable
Fabulation
Fantasy Fiction
Farce
Feminist Literature
Fictional Devices
First World War Fiction
Flash Fiction
Flashback
Folklore
Foreshadowing
Framed Narrative
Free Indirect Discourse
Free Verse
Genre Fiction
Ghazal
Ghost Stories
Gothic Novel
Haiku
Hard Low Fantasy
Heroic Couplet
Heroic Drama
Hexameter
Historical Fantasy Fiction
Historical Fiction
Historical Romance Fiction
Historiographic Metafiction
Horatian Ode
Horatian Satire
Horror Novel
Hyperrealism
Iamb
Iambic Pentameter
Imagery
Indian Literature
Interleaving
Internal Rhyme
Intertextuality
Irish Literature
Irony
Limerick Poem
Linear Narrative
Literary Antecedent
Literary Archetypes
Literary Fiction
Literary Form
Literary Realism
Literary Terms
Literature Review
Liturgical Dramas
Lyric Poetry
Magical Realism
Malapropism
Medieval Drama
Melodrama
Memoir
Metafiction
Meter
Metrical Foot
Miracle Plays
Mock Epic
Morality Plays
Mystery Novels
Mystery Play
Myth
Narrative Discourse
Narrative Form
Narrative Literature
Narrative Nonfiction
Narrative Poetry
Neo-Realism
Non Fiction Genres
Non-Fiction
Non-linear Narrative
Northern Irish Literature
Novel
Novella
Octameter
Octave
Ode
One-Act Play
Oral Narratives
Organic Poetry
Parable
Paratext
Parody
Pastiche
Pastoral Fiction
Pastoral Poetry
Pathetic Fallacy
Petrarchan Sonnet
Picaresque Novel
Play
Poetic Devices
Poetic Form
Poetic Genre
Poetic Terms
Political Satire
Postcolonial Literature
Prologue
Prose
Prose Poetry
Psychological Fiction
Quatrain
Queer Literature
Quintain
Realism
Refrain
Regency Romance
Regional Fiction
Religious Fiction
Reportage
Research Article
Restoration Comedy
Rhyme
Rhyme Scheme
Roman a clef
Romance Fiction
Satire
Satirical Poetry
Sceptical Literature
Science Fiction
Scottish Literature
Second World War Fiction
Sentimental Comedy
Sentimental Novel
Sestet
Shakespearean Sonnet
Short Fiction
Sibilance
Social Realism Literature
Soliloquy
Sonnet
Speculative Fiction
Spenserian Sonnet
Spondee
Stanza
Stream of Consciousness
Strophe
Sublime
Supernatural Fiction
Symbolism
Tercet
Terza Rima
Tetrameter
Textbook
The Early Novel
Theatre of the Absurd
Theatrical Realism
Thriller
Tragedy in Drama
Tragicomedy
Translations and English Literature
Travelogue
Trimeter
Trochaic
Trope
True Crime
Urban Fiction
Utopian Fiction
Verse
Verse Fable
Villanelle
Volta Poetry
Welsh Literature
Western Novels
Women's fiction
Wuxia

Literary Elements
Literary Movements
Literary Studies
Non-Fiction Authors
Novelists
Poets

Contents

American Drama
American Literary Movements
American Literature
American Poetry
American Regionalism Literature
American Short Fiction
Dramatists
Essayists
Literary Criticism and Theory
Literary Devices

Academic and Campus Novel
Acrostic
Adventure Fiction
African Literature
Allegory
Allusion
Amatory Fiction
Analepsis
Anapest
Anaphora
Antinovel
Antistrophe
Antithesis
Archetype
Assonance
Aubade
Autobiography
Ballad
Biblical Narrative
Bildungsroman
Biography
Blank Verse
Brechtian
Caesura
Canto
Chiasmus
Chick Lit
Children's Fiction
Chivalric Romance
Chorus
Christian Drama
Cliché
Cliffhanger
Closet drama
Comedy in Drama
Conceit
Contemporary Fantasy
Couplet
Creative Non-Fiction
Crime Fiction
Cyberpunk Literature
Dactyl
Denouement
Detective Fiction
Didactic Poetry
Domestic Drama
Drama
Dramatic Devices
Dramatic Monologue
Dramatic Structure
Dramatic Terms
Dramatis Personae
Dystopian Fiction
Elegiac Couplet
Elegy
English Renaissance Theatre
Enjambment
Epic Poetry
Epiphany
Epistolary Fiction
Epode
Experimental Fiction
Fable
Fabulation
Fantasy Fiction
Farce
Feminist Literature
Fictional Devices
First World War Fiction
Flash Fiction
Flashback
Folklore
Foreshadowing
Framed Narrative
Free Indirect Discourse
Free Verse
Genre Fiction
Ghazal
Ghost Stories
Gothic Novel
Haiku
Hard Low Fantasy
Heroic Couplet
Heroic Drama
Hexameter
Historical Fantasy Fiction
Historical Fiction
Historical Romance Fiction
Historiographic Metafiction
Horatian Ode
Horatian Satire
Horror Novel
Hyperrealism
Iamb
Iambic Pentameter
Imagery
Indian Literature
Interleaving
Internal Rhyme
Intertextuality
Irish Literature
Irony
Limerick Poem
Linear Narrative
Literary Antecedent
Literary Archetypes
Literary Fiction
Literary Form
Literary Realism
Literary Terms
Literature Review
Liturgical Dramas
Lyric Poetry
Magical Realism
Malapropism
Medieval Drama
Melodrama
Memoir
Metafiction
Meter
Metrical Foot
Miracle Plays
Mock Epic
Morality Plays
Mystery Novels
Mystery Play
Myth
Narrative Discourse
Narrative Form
Narrative Literature
Narrative Nonfiction
Narrative Poetry
Neo-Realism
Non Fiction Genres
Non-Fiction
Non-linear Narrative
Northern Irish Literature
Novel
Novella
Octameter
Octave
Ode
One-Act Play
Oral Narratives
Organic Poetry
Parable
Paratext
Parody
Pastiche
Pastoral Fiction
Pastoral Poetry
Pathetic Fallacy
Petrarchan Sonnet
Picaresque Novel
Play
Poetic Devices
Poetic Form
Poetic Genre
Poetic Terms
Political Satire
Postcolonial Literature
Prologue
Prose
Prose Poetry
Psychological Fiction
Quatrain
Queer Literature
Quintain
Realism
Refrain
Regency Romance
Regional Fiction
Religious Fiction
Reportage
Research Article
Restoration Comedy
Rhyme
Rhyme Scheme
Roman a clef
Romance Fiction
Satire
Satirical Poetry
Sceptical Literature
Science Fiction
Scottish Literature
Second World War Fiction
Sentimental Comedy
Sentimental Novel
Sestet
Shakespearean Sonnet
Short Fiction
Sibilance
Social Realism Literature
Soliloquy
Sonnet
Speculative Fiction
Spenserian Sonnet
Spondee
Stanza
Stream of Consciousness
Strophe
Sublime
Supernatural Fiction
Symbolism
Tercet
Terza Rima
Tetrameter
Textbook
The Early Novel
Theatre of the Absurd
Theatrical Realism
Thriller
Tragedy in Drama
Tragicomedy
Translations and English Literature
Travelogue
Trimeter
Trochaic
Trope
True Crime
Urban Fiction
Utopian Fiction
Verse
Verse Fable
Villanelle
Volta Poetry
Welsh Literature
Western Novels
Women's fiction
Wuxia

Literary Elements
Literary Movements
Literary Studies
Non-Fiction Authors
Novelists
Poets

Contents

Fact Checked Content
Last Updated: 06.09.2022
10 min reading time

Content creation process designed by Lily Hulatt
Content sources cross-checked by Gabriel Freitas
Content quality checked by Gabriel Freitas

Jump to a key chapter

This seemingly simple word often has a pretty specific meaning that is context-dependent, so it is worth understanding the different takes.

Verse meaning

Even as far as poetry definitions are concerned, verse can take on a few meanings, depending on how and when it is used.

For example, the mass noun definition of verse refers to structured works usually written in a meter, more specifically, certain types of poems. In academia, it can also be used to describe a type of meter used, such as a hexameter verse. As a regular noun, it refers to one metrical line of a poem that is countable. Verse can also be used to describe what would normally be called a stanza, although this is a more casual definition.

When used as an adjective, verse describes a work that is poetic in form, such as a verse play.

There are two different types of verse in poetry, free and blank verse. They are grouped under types of verse but, in practice, are very different in approach.

Blank verse

Early forms of blank verse existed in Latin and Greek heroic verse. These structures were then adapted by Italian poets like Giovanni Rucellai, who was the first to use the term ‘versi sciolti’. This Italian term was translated into ‘blank verse’ when the structure spread to the English-speaking world.

Meter

Blank verse is most commonly written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

An ‘iamb’ is a foot that is made up of an unstressed syllable and a stressed syllable. ‘Penta’ is the Greek word for five. Put together, an iambic pentameter is a line with five iambs and ten syllables that sounds like this: duh-DUH, duh-DUH, duh- DUH, duh- DUH, duh-DUH.

Usually, blank verse is used in poetry, but Shakespeare used it in his plays, too. These could be described as verse plays.

Examples of blank verse

The first example of blank verse in an English language poem is probably by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, who translated Virgil’s Aeneid (29-19 BC) in the mid-sixteenth century. Following this, William Shakespeare made extensive use of blank verse with iambic pentameter in both his poetry and his plays.

John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost (1667) is considered to be the first widely-read example of a modern English language blank verse poem. He closely followed the structure of the works of Homer and Virgil.

Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit

Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tast

Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,

With loss of Eden, till one greater Man

Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat,

Sing Heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top

Of Oreb, or Sinai, didst inspire

That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed,

In the Beginning how the Heav’ns and Earth. (Milton, lines 1-9).

Often linked to epic poems of the Victorian era, blank verse was used extensively by poets like Elizabeth Barret Browning in long poems that are almost novels, like Aurora Leigh (1857).

Can you find any rhyming words? How many syllables can you count per line in this stanza? What does this tell you about the verse used?

Of writing many books there is no end;

And I who have written much in prose and verse

For others’ uses, will write now for mine,–

Will write my story for my better self,

As when you paint your portrait for a friend,

Who keeps it in a drawer and looks at it

Long after he has ceased to love you, just

To hold together what he was and is (Barret Browning, lines 1-8).

Widely used by many poets now considered classics of the Western Canon, blank verse can also be spotted in famous poems from William Wordsworth’s The Prelude (1850) to Robert Frost’s Mending Wall (1914). Take a look at this more modern excerpt from Mending Wall and find the similarities to the previous poems written in blank verse.

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,

And spills the upper boulders in the sun;

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast (Frost, lines 1-4).

Although blank verse was originally intended to sound close to the cadence of ordinary speech, it is now sometimes considered old fashioned due to the length of its lines and the formality of its structure.

Free verse

Free verse is a direct translation of ‘vers libre’. Antecedents exist as far back as the biblical Song of Songs, which was loosely based on the original Hebrew cadences.

Meter

Technically, free verse has no meter. It doesn’t rhyme and has no set structure, so it is considered non-metrical. Free verse tries to mimic the patterns of everyday speech and is considered more informal and flexible than blank verse. You may find that some poems that use free verse have their unique rhythms, but these are not set but are organic and improvised.

Examples of free verse

The French term ‘vers libre’ was first widely used by poets like Gustave Kahn and Jules Laforge in the 1880s. Although the French Symbolists preceded these poets and also made use of a form of free verse, it is generally accepted that this was the start of free verse’s mainstream uptake.

During the late 19th century, the Symbolists were a movement that created work with irrational, emotional, and symbolic dreamlike elements. They influenced the Surrealists.

By 1918, free verse had been translated from ‘vers libre’ and had spread globally. The poet and critic Ezra Pound wrote this about free verse in In Retrospect (1918). He compares it to a musical phrase rather than a mechanical or predictable metronome.

As regarding rhythm, [ the structure of free verse is] to compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, not in the sequence of a metronome.1

Verse, A mechanical metronome, StudySmarter Fig. 1 - A mechanical metronome.

Consider the difference between the rhythm of a metronome and how a song might sound, then take a look at the first verse of his poem The Return (1917). This is an early example of American free verse.

See, they return; ah, see the tentative

Movements, and the slow feet,

The trouble in the pace and the uncertain

Wavering! (Pound, lines 1-4).

Do you think Ezra Pound was comparing blank verse to a mechanical metronome? Do you agree?

Later poets like Jorge Louis Borges expanded upon these original thoughts on free verse:

Beyond its rhythm, the typographical appearance of free verse informs the reader that what lies in store for him is not information or reasoning but emotion.2

Perhaps the most famous and influential English language free verse pioneer was Walt Whitman. His poems inspired movements from Surrealism to the Beat Generation and poets from Pablo Neruda to Allen Ginsberg and Patricia Lockwood.

This verse from his poem O Captain! My Captain! (1865) shows how free verse can take on a graphical form.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead (Whitman, lines 1-8).

Due to its flexibility and less formal nature, most contemporary poets have used free verse since the mid-20th century. There are many different examples to read from a variety of cultures and movements. A currently well-known British free verse poet is Carol Ann Duffy, who mixes free verse with a selection of meters to create different rhythms and tones in her work.

Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.

It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.

It promises light

like the careful undressing of love (Duffy, lines 1-5).

Can you see how much shorter lines in the free verse are? And how irregular the length is compared to a blank verse poem? Do you think that free verse is closer to everyday speech?

Verse versus prose

Typically, verse is different from prose because verse is normally arranged in lines that make up a stanza, which then makes up a poem. In contrast, prose is composed of sentences that make up a paragraph, which then makes up a novel, for example. Authors write prose, while poets create verses. Generally, verse relies more on rhythm than prose, but this is not always the case. At a very simplistic level, the difference is that prose is for novels, and verse is for poetry.

There are more similarities between free verse and prose than between prose and blank verse. Neither free verse nor prose is strictly metrical, and both seek to represent natural speech patterns.

Verse - Key takeaways

Verse can have a variety of meanings, depending on the context. Generally, it means a line of a poem, a stanza within a poem, or even poetry in general.
There are two main types of verse: blank verse and free verse.
Blank verse is based on Greek and Latin heroic verse and is not used as frequently in contemporary poetry.
Free verse was made popular by 19th-century French poets but can be traced back to biblical cadences.
Prose and verse differ in many ways, but free verse and prose are similar in that they have no set rhyme scheme or meter.

1 Ezra Pound, ‘A Retrospect’, thepoetryfoundation.org, 2022.

2 Glossary: Free Verse, poetry.org, 2022.

References

Fig. 1 - A mechanical metronome (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metronome_Nikko.jpg) by Vincent Quach (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Invincible) is licensed by CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Flashcards in Verse

2 Start learning

What are the two main types of verse?

Free verse

Who is a famous free verse poet?

Walt Whitman

Learn faster with the 2 flashcards about Verse

Already have an account? Log in

Frequently Asked Questions about Verse

What is a free verse poem?

A poem written in free verse has no rhyme scheme and no set meter.

What is a verse?

In poetry, verse generally refers to a single line of a poem or a stanza but can also be used to refer to a poem or even poetry in general.

You will find that the exact meaning depends on the context.

What is blank verse?

Blank verse is usually a type of poetic structure that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

What is free verse?

Free verse is a type of poetic structure that has no set meter and doesn’t rhyme.

Free verse tries to mimic the patterns of everyday speech and is considered more informal and flexible than blank verse.

What is an example of a verse?

A verse could be a free verse or a blank verse.

A famous blank verse example is Miltons’ Paradise Lost (1667). A very well-known and more contemporary example of free verse can be seen in Walt Witman’s poems.

Save Article

How we ensure our content is accurate and trustworthy?

At StudySmarter, we have created a learning platform that serves millions of students. Meet the people who work hard to deliver fact based content as well as making sure it is verified.

Content Creation Process: Lily Hulatt Avatar

Lily Hulatt

Digital Content Specialist

Lily Hulatt is a Digital Content Specialist with over three years of experience in content strategy and curriculum design. She gained her PhD in English Literature from Durham University in 2022, taught in Durham University’s English Studies Department, and has contributed to a number of publications. Lily specialises in English Literature, English Language, History, and Philosophy.

Get to know Lily Content Quality Monitored by: Gabriel Freitas Avatar

Gabriel Freitas

AI Engineer

Gabriel Freitas is an AI Engineer with a solid experience in software development, machine learning algorithms, and generative AI, including large language models’ (LLMs) applications. Graduated in Electrical Engineering at the University of São Paulo, he is currently pursuing an MSc in Computer Engineering at the University of Campinas, specializing in machine learning topics. Gabriel has a strong background in software engineering and has worked on projects involving computer vision, embedded AI, and LLM applications.

Get to know Gabriel Discover learning materials with the free StudySmarter app Sign up for free

About StudySmarter

StudySmarter is a globally recognized educational technology company, offering a holistic learning platform designed for students of all ages and educational levels. Our platform provides learning support for a wide range of subjects, including STEM, Social Sciences, and Languages and also helps students to successfully master various tests and exams worldwide, such as GCSE, A Level, SAT, ACT, Abitur, and more. We offer an extensive library of learning materials, including interactive flashcards, comprehensive textbook solutions, and detailed explanations. The cutting-edge technology and tools we provide help students create their own learning materials. StudySmarter’s content is not only expert-verified but also regularly updated to ensure accuracy and relevance.

Learn more

StudySmarter Editorial Team

Team English Literature Teachers

10 minutes reading time
Checked by StudySmarter Editorial Team

Save Explanation Save Explanation Study anywhere. Anytime.Across all devices. Sign-up for free Create a free account to save this explanation.

Save explanations to your personalised space and access them anytime, anywhere!

By signing up, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy of StudySmarter.

Already have an account? Log in

Get Started Free Explore our app and discover over 50 million learning materials for free. Sign up for free 94% of StudySmarter users achieve better grades with our free platform. Download now!

Tag » What Is A Verse Poem

Verse: Definition, Examples & Types, Poetry | StudySmarter

Verse meaning

Blank verse

Meter

Examples of blank verse

Free verse

Meter

Examples of free verse

Verse versus prose

Verse - Key takeaways

References

Similar topics in English Literature

Related topics to Literary Devices

Flashcards in Verse

Learn faster with the 2 flashcards about Verse

Frequently Asked Questions about Verse

How we ensure our content is accurate and trustworthy?

About StudySmarter

Verse In Poetry - Definition And Examples - Poem Analysis

Verse (poetry) - Wikipedia

Verse | Young Writers

Examples And Definition Of Verse - Literary Devices

What Is Verse In Poetry? - Quora

What Is A Verse Paragraph? (with Picture) - Language Humanities

Difference Between Stanza And Verse - Pediaa.Com

Verse Examples And Definition - Literary Devices

How To Write A Free Verse Poem: Writing Poetry Without Fixed Form

What Is A Verse? Verse Meaning And Definition - Figurative Language

Difference Between Poem And Verse

Learn About Free Verse Poetry

Is It Poetry Or Is It Verse? By John Barr

Contact